In 2016, New York City's traffic problems worsened. According to INRIX, a transportation analytics company, it went from the fifth-most congested city in America to second-most.
The average American commuter lost the equivalent of a full work week to rush-hour jams in 2016, spending 42 hours in peak-hour traffic. In New York City, drivers doubled that time lost, as the average Big Apple commuter wasted 89 hours in peak-hour congestion. Only Los Angeles—at 104 hours—ranked worse than New York.
But when it comes to the economic cost of traffic, New York is unsurpassed. When INRIX tallied up congestion costs—specifically the value of fuel, time, freight and business fees—the average New York commuter footed a $2,533 bill. For the city as a whole, the economic loss was a whopping $16.9 billion. These figures dwarfed those of Los Angeles and the 10 next-largest metropolitan statistical areas.
article continues below advertisementDrilling down further, New York's micro-level congestion rates stand out. Four of the most congested corridors in the nation are in the New York City metro area, with the Cross Bronx Expressway inflicting upon drivers 86 hours of delays—most in the nation—in 2016. On weekdays, arterial and city streets are clogged 16% of the time, which is also worst among major U.S. cities.
These figures come from INRIX's 2016 Traffic Scorecard, which examines congestion around the world by analyzing the firm's vast data set. Drawing from 300 million connected cars and drivers, the Seattle-based company anonymizes, compiles and adjusts GPS data to uncover traffic trends across major roadways.
In 2016, New York City's traffic problems worsened. According to INRIX, a transportation analytics company, it went from the fifth-most congested city in America to second-most.
The average American commuter lost the equivalent of a full work week to rush-hour jams in 2016, spending 42 hours in peak-hour traffic. In New York City, drivers doubled that time lost, as the average Big Apple commuter wasted 89 hours in peak-hour congestion. Only Los Angeles—at 104 hours—ranked worse than New York.
But when it comes to the economic cost of traffic, New York is unsurpassed. When INRIX tallied up congestion costs—specifically the value of fuel, time, freight and business fees—the average New York commuter footed a $2,533 bill. For the city as a whole, the economic loss was a whopping $16.9 billion. These figures dwarfed those of Los Angeles and the 10 next-largest metropolitan statistical areas.
Drilling down further, New York's micro-level congestion rates stand out. Four of the most congested corridors in the nation are in the New York City metro area, with the Cross Bronx Expressway inflicting upon drivers 86 hours of delays—most in the nation—in 2016. On weekdays, arterial and city streets are clogged 16% of the time, which is also worst among major U.S. cities.
These figures come from INRIX's 2016 Traffic Scorecard, which examines congestion around the world by analyzing the firm's vast data set. Drawing from 300 million connected cars and drivers, the Seattle-based company anonymizes, compiles and adjusts GPS data to uncover traffic trends across major roadways.
A version of this article appears in the February 20, 2017, print issue of Crain's New York Business.
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